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Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA playoffs predictions: Who will win Eastern and Western conference semifinals series?
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers. Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors. The NBA's Eastern conference semifinals are set; the Western Conference semifinals fell into place Sunday night when the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets in Game 7. The No. 1 seeds (Cavaliers, Thunder) have been impressive; sixth-seeded Minnesota sent the Los Angeles Lakers packing with relative ease; Denver routed the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7; Boston rolled through Orlando; Indiana beat down beat-up Milwaukee; New York out-executed the Pistons in fourth quarters; Golden State's experience proved too much for the Rockets. CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS PREVIEWS: NYK-BOS | IND-CLE | DEN-OKC Who will win and advance to the conference finals? USA TODAY Sports experts make their predictions: Lorenzo Reyes: Cavaliers in 6 Heather Tucker: Cavaliers in 6 James Williams: Cavaliers in 6 Jeff Zillgitt: Cavaliers in 5 Lorenzo Reyes: Celtics in 5 Heather Tucker: Celtics in 5 James Williams: Celtics in 6 Jeff Zillgitt: Celtics in 6 Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder is six Heather Tucker: Thunder in six James Williams: Thunder in five Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in five Lorenzo Reyes: Timberwolves in six Heather Tucker: Timberwolves in seven James Williams: Timberwolves in six Jeff Zillgitt: Timberwolves in seven This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs picks: Who will win East, West conference semifinals?
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA playoffs predictions: Who will win Eastern and Western conference semifinals series?
NBA playoffs predictions: Who will win Eastern and Western conference semifinals series? Show Caption Hide Caption Do the Thunder have what it takes to reach the Finals? Oklahoma City has the pieces—but do they have the experience to win three playoff series? Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers. Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors. The NBA's Eastern conference semifinals are set; the Western Conference semifinals fell into place Sunday night when the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets in Game 7. The No. 1 seeds (Cavaliers, Thunder) have been impressive; sixth-seeded Minnesota sent the Los Angeles Lakers packing with relative ease; Denver routed the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7; Boston rolled through Orlando; Indiana beat down beat-up Milwaukee; New York out-executed the Pistons in fourth quarters; Golden State's experience proved too much for the Rockets. CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS PREVIEWS: NYK-BOS | IND-CLE | DEN-OKC Who will win and advance to the conference finals? USA TODAY Sports experts make their predictions: NBA predictions for conference semifinals No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Cavaliers in 6 Heather Tucker: Cavaliers in 6 James Williams: Cavaliers in 6 Jeff Zillgitt: Cavaliers in 5 Lorenzo Reyes: Celtics in 5 Celtics in 5 Heather Tucker: Celtics in 5 Celtics in 5 James Williams: Celtics in 6 Celtics in 6 Jeff Zillgitt: Celtics in 6 Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder is six Thunder is six Heather Tucker: Thunder in six Thunder in six James Williams: Thunder in five Thunder in five Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in five No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors
USA Today
19-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA playoff picks: Our predictions for every first-round series
NBA playoff picks: Our predictions for every first-round series Show Caption Hide Caption The future of the NBA after LeBron & Curry: Who will step up? Shaq discusses the challenge of finding the next face of the NBA after legends like LeBron and Steph eventually retire. In each of the past two NBA playoffs, at least two lower seeds have won a first-round series, including four in 2023. With depth and parity creeping into the NBA competitive paradigm, is the league in store for more unpredictability? The Golden State Warriors are an atypical No. 7 seed, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are a No. 6 seed who made the Western Conference finals last season. The Milwaukee Bucks are the five seed but still have championship components, and the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons beat the Knicks three times this season, including twice at Madison Square Garden. Here are first-round NBA playoff predictions from USA TODAY Sports NBA staff writers and editors: NBA first-round playoff predictions Eastern Conference Noteworthy: The Cavaliers posted the NBA's top offensive rating, scoring 121.0 points per 100 possessions en route to winning 64 games, most since the 2008-09 season, when they won 66. Cavaliers-Heat predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Cavaliers in 6 Cavaliers in 6 Heather Tucker: Cavaliers in 5 Cavaliers in 5 James Williams: Cavaliers in 4 Cavaliers in 4 Jeff Zillgitt: Cavaliers in 5 No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic Noteworthy: The Magic actually won the season series, 2-1, though All-Star forward Jayson Tatum missed both Boston losses. One of those defeats came in the antepenultimate game of the regular season, when the Celtics sat Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis — their entire starting unit. Celtics-Magic predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Celtics in five Celtics in five Heather Tucker: Celtics in four Celtics in four James Williams: Celtics in five Celtics in five Jeff Zillgitt: Celtics in six No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons Noteworthy: No lineup played more minutes (940) than New York's starting five of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson. The Pistons saw a 30-win improvement from last season, the sixth-best turnaround in NBA history. Knicks-Pistons predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Knicks in five Knicks in five Heather Tucker: Knicks in six Knicks in six James Williams: Knicks in six Knicks in six Jeff Zillgitt: Knicks in six No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks Noteworthy: Bucks guard Damian Lillard's availability (deep vein thrombosis) is up in the air, and he'll be essential to Milwaukee's chances: no duo in the NBA scored more points than Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who combined for 55.3 points per game. The Pacers won 50 games for the first time since 2013-14 and went 34-14 (.708) since Jan. 1. Pacers-Bucks predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Bucks in seven Bucks in seven Heather Tucker: Bucks in six Bucks in six James Williams: Bucks in six Bucks in six Jeff Zillgitt: Pacers in seven Western Conference Noteworthy: The Thunder were the only team to finish in the top three in offensive (third) and defensive rating (first) and had the league's best net rating at plus-12.7 points per 100 possessions – the second-best net rating in NBA history. Thunder-Grizzlies predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder in 5 Thunder in 5 Heather Tucker: Thunder in 5 Thunder in 5 James Williams: Thunder in 5 Thunder in 5 Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder in 5 No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors Noteworthy: Golden State won the seasons series 3-2, outscoring Houston 517-509, and the Rockets held the Warriors to less than 100 points in three of the five games. Rockets-Warriors predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Rockets in five Rockets in five Heather Tucker: Rockets in six Rockets in six James Williams: Rockets in seven Rockets in seven Jeff Zillgitt: Warriors in seven No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves Noteworthy: The teams split the four-game seasons series – each winning twice at home. However, Luka Doncic was with the Lakers for only the final game, a 111-102 Lakers win on Feb. 27, with LeBron James and Doncic combining for 54 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists. Lakers-Timberwolves predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Lakers in seven Lakers in seven Heather Tucker: Lakers in five Lakers in five James Williams: Lakers in five Lakers in five Jeff Zillgitt: Lakers in seven Noteworthy: The Nuggets and the Clippers each won two games in the season series, but they haven't played since Jan. 8. Norman Powell torched the Nuggets, averaging 27.8 points in four games on 48.7% shooting on 3-pointers. Nuggets-Clippers predictions
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NBA playoff picks for every bracket series
2025 NBA playoff picks for every bracket series Show Caption Hide Caption The future of the NBA after LeBron & Curry: Who will step up? Shaq discusses the challenge of finding the next face of the NBA after legends like LeBron and Steph eventually retire. In each of the past two NBA playoffs, at least two lower seeds have won a first-round series, including four in 2023. With depth and parity creeping into the NBA competitive paradigm, is the league in store for more unpredictability? The Golden State Warriors are an atypical No. 7 seed, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are a No. 6 seed who made the Western Conference finals last season. The Milwaukee Bucks are the five seed but still have championship components, and the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons beat the Knicks three times this season, including twice at Madison Square Garden. Here are first-round NBA playoff predictions from USA TODAY Sports NBA staff writers and editors: NBA first-round playoff predictions Eastern Conference No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Atlanta or Miami or Chicago Noteworthy: The Cavaliers posted the NBA's top offensive rating, scoring 121.0 points per 100 possessions en route to winning 64 games, most since the 2008-09 season, when they won 66. Cavaliers-No. 8 predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Cavaliers Heather Tucker: Cavaliers Jeff Zillgitt: Cavaliers No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic Noteworthy: The Magic actually won the season series, 2-1, though All-Star forward Jayson Tatum missed both Boston losses. One of those defeats came in the antepenultimate game of the regular season, when the Celtics sat Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis — their entire starting unit. Celtics-Magic predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Celtics in five Heather Tucker: Celtics in four Jeff Zillgitt: Celtics in six No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons Noteworthy: No lineup played more minutes (940) than New York's starting five of Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson. The Pistons saw a 30-win improvement from last season, the sixth-best turnaround in NBA history. Knicks-Pistons predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Knicks in five Heather Tucker: Knicks in six Jeff Zillgitt: Knicks in six No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks Noteworthy: Bucks guard Damian Lillard's availability (deep vein thrombosis) is up in the air, and he'll be essential to Milwaukee's chances: no duo in the NBA scored more points than Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who combined for 55.3 points per game. The Pacers won 50 games for the first time since 2013-14 and went 34-14 (.708) since Jan. 1. Pacers-Bucks predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Bucks in seven Heather Tucker: Bucks in six Jeff Zillgitt: Pacers in seven Western Conference No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No 8 Memphis or Sacramento or Dallas Noteworthy: The Thunder were the only team to finish in the top three in offensive (third) and defensive rating (first) and had the league's best net rating at plus-12.7 points per 100 possessions – the second-best net rating in NBA history. Thunder-No. 8 seed predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Thunder Heather Tucker: Thunder Jeff Zillgitt: Thunder No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors Noteworthy: Golden State won the seasons series 3-2, outscoring Houston 517-509, and the Rockets held the Warriors to less than 100 points in three of the five games. Rockets-Warriors predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Rockets in five Heather Tucker: Rockets in six Jeff Zillgitt: Warriors in seven No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves Noteworthy: The teams split the four-game seasons series – each winning twice at home. However, Luka Doncic was with the Lakers for only the final game, a 111-102 Lakers win on Feb. 27, with LeBron James and Doncic combining for 54 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists. Lakers-Timberwolves predictions Lorenzo Reyes: Lakers in seven Heather Tucker: Lakers in five Jeff Zillgitt: Lakers in seven Noteworthy: The Nuggets and the Clippers each won two games in the season series, but they haven't played since Jan. 8. Norman Powell torched the Nuggets, averaging 27.8 points in four games on 48.7% shooting on 3-pointers. Nuggets-Clippers predictions
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA play-in predictions: Which teams advance?
NBA play-in predictions: Which teams advance? Show Caption Hide Caption The future of the NBA after LeBron & Curry: Who will step up? Shaq discusses the challenge of finding the next face of the NBA after legends like LeBron and Steph eventually retire. The NBA play-in game has added early and extra tension to a long playoffs season. The Golden State Warriors went all in to acquire Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline and capitalize on a championship window with Steph Curry still playing at an All-NBA level. But the Warriors need to win a play-in game just to get the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. They play the Memphis Grizzlies, who on Feb. 6 were 35-16 and in second place. They fired their coach with a week left in the season and finished eighth with the same record as the Warriors (48-34), who were 25-25 on Feb. 6. The pressure is palpable and the stakes are considerable. Let's take a look at the play-in games with TV info, tip-off times and predictions from USA TODAY Sports experts: NBA play-in game predictions No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Orlando Magic Date: Tuesday, April 15 Tuesday, April 15 Time: 7:30 p.m. ET 7:30 p.m. ET TV: TNT Noteworthy: Winner gets the No. 7 seed and a first-round series against the Boston Celtics. The Magic won the season series against the Hawks, 2-1, including a 119-112 home victory April 8. Predictions: Lorenzo Reyes: Magic Heather Tucker: Magic James Williams: Hawks Jeff Zillgitt: Magic No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies at No. 7 Golden State Warriors Date: Tuesday, April 15 Tuesday, April 15 Time: 10 p.m. ET 10 p.m. ET TV: TNT Noteworthy: The Warriors won the season series, 3-1, including a 134-125 victory April 1, a game in which Steph Curry scored 52 points (36 on 3-pointers) and had 10 rebounds and eight assists. The winner earns the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets. Predictions: Lorenzo Reyes: Grizzlies Heather Tucker: Warriors James Williams: Warriors Jeff Zillgitt: Warriors No. 10 Miami Heat at No. 9 Chicago Bulls Date: Wednesday, April 16 Wednesday, April 16 Time: 7:30 p.m. ET 7:30 p.m. ET TV: ESPN Noteworthy: The Bulls swept the season series, 3-0, and in the Bulls' 119-111 victory on April 9, Josh Giddey had 28 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and two steals. The winner plays the loser of the Hawks-Magic game for the No. 8 seed and a first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Predictions: Lorenzo Reyes: Bulls Heather Tucker: Heat James Williams: Bulls Jeff Zillgitt: Bulls No. 10 Dallas Mavericks at No. 9 Sacramento Kings Date: Wednesday, April 16 Wednesday, April 16 Time: 10 p.m. ET 10 p.m. ET TV: ESPN Noteworthy: The Kings won all three games against Dallas this season, including a 129-128 overtime victory on Feb. 10 and a 122-98 victory on March 3. The winner plays the loser of the Grizzlies-Warriors game for the No. 8 seed and a first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Predictions:
